Paper Heart
by PunkyPhoenicopterus
Summary: The men of the 1980 US Olympic Men's Hockey team have a tough road ahead of them; and there's no way Rob 'Mac' McClanahan is leaving his best friend behind. She needs him, and she'll soon come to depend on more than just the Gophers. We're all a little bit broken on the inside. Jimmy Craig/OC.
1. 1979, Colorado Springs

**Chapter One : 1979, Colorado Springs.**

"Hey, sorry!"

A tall, muscled man with a large hockey bag over his shoulder jostled her, knocking her off balance a little. She scowled a little, opening her mouth to tell him to watch it, before she sighed. The man had already hurried off with that simple apology. She couldn't pinpoint the accent; it certainly wasn't a Minnesotan accent, like hers - she couldn't even see his face as he disappeared into the crowd that were heading inside the rink.

Why had she decided to come to Colorado? Right, her uncle. Craig Patrick was the newly assigned assistant coach to Herb Brooks - officially the coach of the 1980 Olympic USA Men's Hockey team. It was a huge honour, and unfortunately her uncle's immediately family couldn't get away for the week-long tryouts, so he'd invited Audrey along to keep him company. Luckily, she also knew Herb - being best friends with Rob McClanahan, who played for Herb at the U, meant that she knew him somewhat. So, he was okay to have her sit in the stands and watch for the day - she liked people watching, and she had her sketchbook and a couple of books.

She was suddenly pushed forward a little, before warm, strong arms wrapped around her shoulders - her face immediately broke out in a grin. She knew exactly who was behind her,  
"Dree, you ready to watch my skills?"

She had to laugh, rolling her eyes even if he couldn't see it,  
"Sure, Mac. I'm just glad to be out of that car. You boys smell after a few hours."

There was brief sounds of protests as Phil Verchota, Mike Ramsey, and Neal Broten came up behind the pair; they'd all driven here together, and while she'd sat in the front seat, trying to ignore their off-key singing and smells. Mac released her, picking up the hockey bag he'd dropped to grab her, before nudging her to walk with them, soon met by Bill Baker, Steve Christoff, Steve Janaszak, Buzz Schneider and Eric Strobel, who'd all squeezed into Bill's car to get here with the rest of the Minnesota players; some others had piled into a third car. A lot of guys from Minnesota were here, they definitely dominated the landscape.

While she'd been a little stiff and apprehensive around the strange hockey players, as soon as she was around the Gophers, she immediately relaxed. They were a good group of guys, and over the past six months she'd become close to Mac again, after being distant for a few years. And, although the guys would never readily admit this, it was nice to have a girl around, that wasn't trying to flirt incessantly with the players. She had no interest in any of them, although there was playful teasing between them, they didn't see her that way.

She thought it probably had something to do with her appearance - she'd certainly changed since she was 16. Six months ago, when everything changed for her, she'd decided to hell with what girls _should_ look like in 1979, with their Farrah Fawcett hair. She no longer wanted long hair, it was a reminder of the past. So, she'd cut her flame-hued hair into a messy pixie cut, inspired by Mia Farrow and Twiggy. She'd also gotten bold, and had her nose pierced. That, combined with her mass of freckles and hazel-green eyes, made her stand out. But surprisingly, most people ignored her. All the guys wanted girls with the long, luxurious hair, usually blonde, giggling, outgoing. That wasn't her. She was happy to hang out with Mac and the boys and just have a laugh. She was just one of the guys when she was with them, and that was the way she liked it.

So here she was, Audrey Kathleen Buchanan, all 5'4" of her, making her way with a mass of tall, muscly, jovial ice hockey players into the rink. She was dressed simply in a pair of dark blue jeans, slightly worn boots, a bright blue, long sleeved top with a tight-fit, knitted cardigan; along with a dash of mascara, lip gloss, and a small swoop of eyeshadow that made her eye colour pop. She was dressed comfortably, she never put much thought into how she looked to other people; she just dressed for herself. Mac gave her a quick squeeze around her shoulders, winking at her as all the Minnesota players walked by, ruffling her hair which made her scowl. She just got it sitting right!  
"Alright, wish me luck. You're only going to have eyes for me today, right? Watch the master at work?"

Audrey groaned, which made Mac grin widely, and she elbowed him, adjusting her shoulder bag as she walked off,  
"Good luck, and no, I'll watch everyone. You're not that special!"

That last part was called over her shoulder, as she headed into the rink, heading up into the stands, ignoring a couple of stares from some of the players who were already milling around, getting ready to head out onto the ice. She spotted Craig and Herb up in the booth, and gave a small wave - she got a small wave from Craig, and a nod from Herb. She settled herself down on the far side, away from the entrance, so she wouldn't get in the way. She then got her sketchbook out, deciding to do a few brief sketches before everyone started.

* * *

 **A/N:** My first ever story on here, so please be gentle! I just had to get this out of my head and onto paper - I was going to make a completely normal character but then she totally turned in my head. I do have a face in mind so if you'd like to see, let me know and I'll add a link to her face.


	2. Colorado Springs, The Tryouts

**Chapter Two: Colorado Springs, The Tryouts**

Audrey hadn't expected just how many hockey players had turned up - it was difficult to keep her eye on Mac. While she'd teased him, of course she was going to watch him. She loved watching him skate. Her mind began to wander, her lips pursing as she was lost in thought, thinking about insignificant things. Suddenly, a sharp whistle caught her attention, regaining her focus. It was Verchota, grinning wildly as he winked and pursed his lips back at her in a mock kiss. Heat flushed her cheeks - Phil was always embarrassing her. She just rolled her eyes, and he skated off, continuing with the tryouts. She muttered to herself, annoyed that Phil always seemed to enjoy seeing her face go red,  
"Not, fair.."

After another hour of sketching and reading, she turned her attention back to the ice and the players. Strangely, Audrey always found herself fascinated by the way they glided around the ice. It was different from the delicate grace of figure skaters, but there was a certain elegance. Her strength was speed on skate - she couldn't do any tricks or jumps - her time on the ice usually ended up in a race with Mac. After another hour, she was starting to get stiff from sitting on the hard seats, so she stood up, stretching her arms above her head in a slow, languid movement. After a few seconds, she became keenly aware of at least two or three sets of eyes on her. As she sat back down, her gaze went back to the ice. She recognised one of the starers - Tim Harrer, a Gopher. His stare made her slightly uncomfortable; she felt her fingers curling and tensing. Another set of eyes had a wide grin accompanying them, and didn't make her so uncomfortable as Tim - she then spotted Mac, returning his brief wave with a smile and a wave of her own. The grinning player suddenly scowled, the grin darkening into an almost hateful glower as he realised who she was waving at. Her eyes widened a little - that was a hell of a glare he had. She glanced at the guys' green jersey - Terriers. Boston. She should have known. He skated off, and thankfully she had a better distraction. Craig was coming to talk, looking a little stressed,  
"Hey, how's everyone looking, Craig? Looks like it'll be a busy week."

Craig grimaced as Audrey mentioned the word 'week',  
"Herb's already chosen his twenty-six. Tryouts are done today."

Audrey's jaw dropped. Done? Already?! Her earth-green gaze just stared at her uncle in confusion, her stomach twisting nervously. Did Mac make it? What about the other Gophers? It had only been a few heartbeats since he'd spoken, and he spoke up again,  
"I've got to trust he knows what he's doing. And don't panic - Mac and a half-dozen Gophers are through. Don't let that out yet, we're making the announcement in about an hour once they're all changed. Wait around."

Audrey visibly relaxed, and breathed a sigh of relief. She couldn't help but match Craig's grin, rolling her eyes at him,  
"Hey he'd be impossible to live with if he hadn't!"

They both shared a quiet chuckle, a brief respite from the tension and stress of the day. Craig got called away, and Audrey sat back down again, packing everything into her shoulder bag, except one of her books. She'd read until everything was done.

"McClanahan, Silk, Johnson, Craig, Cox, Eruzione. And that's the roster for now.."  
Audrey was completely absorbed in her book, that she only reacted when she heard Mac's name, her head snapping up, a warm, beaming grin swept across her freckled features. Of course, she knew he'd made it, and she didn't hear the rest of her uncle Craig's words as she got herself all packed up. She watched the guys leaving, noticing Tim hadn't made it, as well as a couple of other Gophers. The ones she was closest to, however, seemed to have made it. That thrilled her, beyond compare. Herb made his appearance then, and she remained seated, not wanting to get in the way. She listened quietly as he told them the ones leaving were getting off easy. She wasn't surprised at his speech at all - she knew he pushed his players hard, and of course, being the Olympics, it was going to be even harder.

The boys picked up their 'homework', and when everyone started to move out of the stands, she couldn't help but laugh as one after the other, the Gophers weaved their way over to her, Verchota getting to her first with that brilliant grin of his, squeaking a little as he swept her up into an almost bone-crushing hug,  
"We did it! See how brilliant we all were, Audrey?"

She was being swung around, her legs kicked up, her arms clinging around his shoulders, before she tapped him on the upper back, making fake choking sounds,  
"You're crushing me, Phil. Put me down!"

He laughed and put her down, shrugging as Mac gave him a shove, moving to give Audrey a gentler, but still excited hug. She hugged him back enthusiastically, giving a big grin to the other Gophers still there. She gave Mac a pat on the back, and he released her,  
"Now everyone will want a congratulatory hug.."

She whined a little, but her grin told them all that she was only teasing. After another five minutes and hugging for each of them, she finally got around to asking them about the thick pile of paper they were all holding, pointing to Strobel's,  
"What's this?"

They all groaned.  
"Homework, we have to fill it out for Herb."  
Mac made a face as he complained. His face soon lit up, though, as the suggestion was made to start filling it out at the bar. Everyone readily agreed, and gave Audrey no chance to back out. She wasn't a big drinker, but she'd happily have a couple. Plus, in the company of the Gophers, who made her feel safe, she wouldn't have any problems.

* * *

 **A/N:** A quick thank you to shadygrl91 for being my first ever follower! Truly appreciated. Also, for an idea of her face, this beautiful girl was my inspiration, I love her short hair! Audrey: Chlöe Howl.


	3. Colorado Springs, Celebration!

**Chapter Three: Colorado Springs- Celebration!**

The bar they'd stepped into had been overrun by hockey players; nearly all twenty-six had stopped in, with their hefty 'homework'. Audrey walked in with Mac, who stopped briefly to say hi to Rizzo. She caught the death glare from the player who had the Terriers jersey earlier, nudging Mac,  
"So who's the guy staring daggers at you?"

Mac just grinned as the fellow Gophers shuffled over to squeeze Audrey in, Neal Broten grinning at her as she was squished between him and Mac,  
"Oh, you mean O'Callahan? He's from Boston."

Like that explained everything. She rolled her eyes, before Neal clarified for her,  
"He's probably still pissed about the '76 national championship."

It took a minute for her to recall, before her eyes lit up in understanding, turning to Mac, speaking in a slightly scolding tone,  
"Well, you two need to get along, for everybody's sake."

Mac just shrugged, he was done talking about it. He then got up to go get some drinks, and she turned her attention to the rest of the Gophers, and various other players who had joined their table, catching Neal's eye as she nodded to the thick piles of paper they all had,  
"So, what's the homework? Quizzes?"

Mac had left his in his car, he said he'd do it later. Neal pushed his towards her, and she started reading, before she started laughing,  
"He's giving you psychology tests? He's going to give you guys hell!"

Soon, everyone was talking at once. She even heard one of them exclaim that Verchota was done already. Of course, he'd probably just flown through the questions and not paid them a lick of attention. Typical. They were shortly joined by a few more other players from various teams. No Boston Terriers, she noticed. Rivalries still ran deep.

"Is that alright with you, Mother?"

The words had pierced through a lull in conversation, and she immediately noticed the accent. Definitely not a Minnesotan accent. Several people glanced over towards the source of the noise, Audrey included. She glanced back at Mac, who was happily leaning around her to have a conversation with Neal. She nudged him in the ribs, ignoring his mock wince of pain,  
"Please tell me you're going to try and get along with the Terriers."

She heard a chuckle from across the table, flicking a glare towards John 'Bah' Harrington, before turning her attention back to Mac, who sighed dramatically, holding up his hand,  
"I promise I'll try."

She kept her stern gaze on him, making sure he wasn't just placating her. She wouldn't put it past him to say just what she wanted to hear. Sometimes she was sure he did it just to keep her happy, she knew he didn't like seeing her upset. Not after their history. Of course, he just kept grinning at her, and she finally gave up, smiling back at her best friend. After another hour or so of fun and conversation, Audrey took a taxi back to the hotel; she was in the room next to her uncle. He'd told her to knock when she returned, so she gave a few sharp raps to the door. A brief pause, and the door opened,  
"No problems, Audrey?"

He opened the door wider, so she could step inside. She shrugged delicately, her freckled face screwing up a little as she sat down with a sigh,  
"Not so far. I'm worried, though. That Boston guy, O'Callahan, seems to have it in for Mac. He promised me he'd try to get along with him, though."

Her uncle raised his eyebrows in surprise, chuckling a bit,  
"I'm sure he'll try, if he promised. Something tells me Herb'll keep them far too busy to worry about grudges. Mac'll be fine, Audrey. Get some rest. Are you driving home with Mac or would you like a change of scenery?"

Audrey laughed as she got to her feet, heading for the door,  
"Change of scenery, please! What time are you heading away tomorrow?"

They made a definitive plan on when they'll be heading back to Minneapolis the next morning. Audrey said her goodnights, kissing her uncle on the cheek, before she headed to her room to try and get at least an hour or two sleeping time in. She doubted she would, though. She very rarely slept these days. In less than 24 hours, the U.S. Olympic Men's Hockey team would begin their training at Bloomington Arena, back in Minnesota.

It was going to be a very busy year..

* * *

 **A/N:** I am going to try and update more regularly, but it's hard with such a busy work life. However, I want to give a special thanks to mcclanahansbackhand, SloveniaWriter95 and of course shadygrl91, my three followers who are all lovely people for believing in this story! Thanks so much, guys!


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